Danny and I spent the rest of the week doing all sorts of couple stuff—watching movies together in the theaters and in my place, for example.

We haven’t risked going out in broad daylight yet—just nighttime activities that could still be interpreted as innocent, the sort of stuff that friends and/or step-siblings would do.

So besides the movies, we’ve gone out to eat a few times, being careful about our body language while in public.

We get to relax and be more intimate in my place, so we reserve our excitement and affection for there.

He and I spent every evening together since his visit—he comes by after work, and after I’d spent the day walking around, listening to impromptu bands, stuffing my face, popping into various holes-in-the-wall for random entertainment, and missing him.

It almost felt like he and I had been together forever by the time the weekend hit, and my stomach is tied in knots now that the time to tell our parents has arrived.

Danny thought it would be a good idea for us all to get together for dinner on Sunday under the guise of having our first family dinner and catching up.

So here we are in the house I grew up in, all of us intermittently smiling goofily at each other and darting nervous glances as the conversation starts and stops.

I busy myself with the roasted potatoes in one of the awkward silent moments.

“So your honeymoon starts when?” Danny asks his mom.

“We’ll be heading out on Wednesday. We just wanted to make sure everything had been moved over and transitioned before we left—you know how I like all my ducks in a row,” Daisy says.

“And who’s looking after the plants?” I blurt out.

Dad chuckles. “We’ve got hired hands for that—and a couple of other things; this place isn’t going to maintain itself. But we’re only gone for a week and a half anyway.”

Daisy decided to move in with Dad.

As for the house she lived in with her late husband, it’s on the market.

I can’t say I blame her—I’ve never seen her old place to even compare, but this house is pretty special.

The area is quiet and beautiful, perfect for a comfortable older pair near retirement.

I look at Danny, hoping to nudge him into it.

“You know, Emma and I…” he begins.

“…are no longer working together, right? What happened, dear?” Daisy says, turning to me.

I had eventually texted both my Dad and Daisy that the job simply wasn’t for me.

My dad knows to leave it alone after that, but Daisy apparently doesn’t.

What’s so hard to understand about the job and me being incompatible?

“I’m actually considering going back—I might have acted too rashly. It’s just such a change from my usual lifestyle, I guess I panicked. But I’m also considering finishing my degree, so…”

My dad’s face lights up in a way that truly touches my heart.

I guess he thinks I’m finally pulling myself back together or something.

“Oh, and Danny who was that charming girl you brought with you to the wedding? My, what a lovely…”

“Danny and I are together!” I blurt out.

Everything goes deathly silent for a moment, and then Daisy bursts out laughing.

I’m not sure how to take it.

Does she think I’m joking or…?

“Oh, Emma, your father and I knew. It was all over your face!”

And here I thought I was nailing nonchalance, pulling off a stunning performance.

“Danny, how could you do that to her? Bring a girl like that around when Emma so clearly has feelings for you? Why, I thought we’d end up with a catfight!”

“Sabrina and I were covering; she knew the deal and was just playing a part. She was actually pretty excited about it—she’s a theater girl, an aspiring actress. I’m not even sure she’s straight, to be honest.”

“Because she never made a move on you, I presume?” Daisy says teasingly.

“Well…” He looks sort of guilty—as if that’s exactly why!

It makes me laugh.

Can’t say my man isn’t confident; he truly thinks he’s so irresistible.

Well, to me he obviously is, so I guess I can’t argue with that.

“So…you guys are okay with this?”

Daisy shrugs. “What can we do? And who are we to stand in the way of love?”

Danny and I both react nervously to that one but say nothing.

“Mom, I know how you are—I don’t want you to be the butt of jokes in your circle or…”

She waves his words away. “You’re both adults, and you’re not actually related. Anyone who can’t understand these simple facts is not worth being in any of my circles. What I want more than anything is for my son to find happiness, and it seems he has. So don’t worry about me, darling—I’m happy, you’re happy; life couldn’t get much better.”

Danny smiles warmly, looking incredibly relieved. “I love you, Mom.”

“I love you, too, Slingshot.”

I burst out laughing. “Looks like I’m not the only one with silly nicknames.”

“No, you’re not, Dandelion,” Dad says helpfully. He waits a second then says sincerely, “I’m very happy for you, sweetie.”

I smile at him, then I send Danny a grateful look, happy he didn’t bring up ‘Cara.’

My dad knows ‘Cara’ in an entirely different context, and we do not need things to get more awkward.

“Well, now that we’ve gotten that out of the way, we have bit of a problem on our hands,” Danny says. Everyone’s attention turns to him. “I’m currently being blackmailed, as…compromising photos of Emma and me have surfaced.” He turns to his mom. “It’s Reggie, Mom.”

“Oh, that weasel. Listen, your father would never allow that sort of thing. He’d probably tell them to shove their blackmail and release the info himself, thereby owning it while simultaneously stripping away the power they thought they had over him. You do whatever you feel is best, as I don’t know the extent of it, but your dad dealt with things like this on his own terms.”

Danny looks thoughtful, his gaze softening as if he has retreated to the inside of his head.

* * *

Danny drove us to my dad’s, so now we’re driving back to Manhattan in his very comfortable Rolls Royce.

“So what are you going to do?” I ask him.

Danny takes a moment to reply, his eyes remaining on the road.

“I’ve decided to tell the truth. That’s probably what Judy Smith would do.”

“Who’s Judy Smith?”

“Never mind. My mom was right—it’s never a good idea to hand someone power like that. Best to take it from them swiftly and soundly, and in this case, that means scooping them—being the one to break the story first. So I’ll just give everyone a heads up about the two of us, explaining the basics. It may or may not affect future clients, but for the most part, this whole thing should barely make a blip. And you know what? What we have might be a little unorthodox, but it’s nothing to be ashamed about. I’m sure the vast majority of the shareholders and other executives will understand. Heck, some will probably laugh that I decided to make an issue of such a thing in the first place—there are some real skeletons in some of those closets, things that could actually have legal consequences. In a way, the three of us—you, me, and Reggie—have made much ado about nothing. Although those photos are pretty compromising; I wouldn’t want you to be embarrassed about being shown like that—getting fucked against a wall. As for me, I don’t really care if my ass is hanging out there.”

“Well, from what I saw, not a lot of detail was captured. My boobs were covered, and the other naughty bits weren’t really showing, so I’m good. Besides, it’s not earth-shattering that a twenty-four-year-old American woman has sex. I think everyone I know is aware I’m sexually active—as they are—so no big whoop there.” I think for a moment. “Plus, we can maybe pretend it was a scene for Sabrina—that she’s shooting an independent short film or something and we have roles…”

He glances at me. “You’re quite…creative there with your deception. I might have to watch out for you.”

“Only when I have time to think about something,” I say with a grin. “I just want you to know I’m on board with however you want to deal with this. And if we have to pretend to be in a fake film, so be it.”

“I don’t think we’ll have to go that far. I can take care of the photos in a different way—hire some folks to…confiscate the evidence. Might as well put more of my funds to good use.”

He flashes me a grin, and I glimpse a darker, more ruthless side for a moment, and it makes me shiver in delight.

* * *

“Holy. Hell,” I say I stare at the inside of his penthouse suite.

This is the first time I’ve been in his place, even though we’ve been together for weeks.

“You like?”

“Understatement. Jesus, how do you expect me to ever look at my rinky-dink one-bedroom the same again?”

“You know, you don’t have to. You can just move in here with me. I mean, look at this place. Way too much for one person, don’t you think?”

“Perfect for a bachelor, I know,” I say with a messy wink.

“Well, I’m no longer a bachelor per se. Of course, this is an open invitation. Join me whenever you’re ready, or not at all; I know how much you love your freedom and independence.”

“Hmmm.” I pretend to think about it. “Maybe I’ll hang out here for a few days, see how it feels. I mean, it’s so high up. And bright. So many weird, expensive-looking things around—I’m not sure I’ll fit in.”

“You’re the most valuable thing in here right now,” he says deeply, his eyes intently on me.

“Well, I don’t know about that,” I reply. “But you know what’ll probably help me decide?”

He regards me with a slight cock of his head. “I think I have an idea,” he says, then he stalks toward me, picks me up easily—making me squeal a little—then walks me toward the master bedroom with its enormous king-sized bed.

We rid ourselves of clothes in record time, and he’s soon kissing me passionately while our nude bodies writhe against each other as one.